As a coach, you have to know when to speak up and when to remain silent to keep intensity high. You also have to know how to get your point across quickly to athletes who are focusing on working hard, not breaking down a complex set of instructions. Knowing how and when to drop one or two words into your client’s workout can make all of the difference in the world.

In this video shot at CrossFit Santa Cruz, CrossFit HQ trainer Austin Begiebing takes a group of coaches through “cues with disclaimers” that will work in every WOD. Begiebing utilizes simple, precise verbal cues to keep the right pieces of each lift moving properly. Implement these cues into your training regimen and both you and your clients will benefit.

The Coaches Prep Seminar builds upon the Level 1 Certification and is designed for coaches looking to take their training to the next level. To register for the course, visit CrossFit.com.

I remember Austin and I back in the day working hard to get better at coaching. I would see movement that wasn't exactly perfect and fix it in an hour. Austin would come by and see movement that wasn't exactly perfect and fix it in 5 minutes.

The CrossFit Journal is a chronicle of the empirically driven, clinically tested, and community developed CrossFit program. Our mission is to provide a venue for contributing coaches, trainers, athletes, and researchers to ponder, study, debate, and define fitness and collectively advance the art and science of optimizing human performance.